Itinerary Choice.
Itinerary selection can be easily narrowed down to three types: port intensive, balanced, and sailing intensive. First timers often look at itineraries with lots of ports - nearly a port every day with maybe one day at sea out of seven. The urge to see as much as possible, and the fear of motion or being confined often drives this. People who are very active, sightseers, high paced, and enjoy seeing a lot in a short period of time, often prefer port intensive itineraries. They are very tiring, and often you feel like you need a holiday after doing one. Think about it. Up early for breakfast so you can get into port at a decent time, and back to the ship in the late afternoon. Especially if you take excursions and shop, you'll be quite tired when you come back to the ship. Now it's time to shower and change for dinner, and after dinner it's off to the show. Do this day in, day out with no rest, and it can become tiring. A balanced itinerary gives you more days at sea, perhaps three or four out of seven. Days at sea are wonderful ways to spend time in warm weather. Up on deck, you'll find a quiet area with a cool breeze that takes the sweating out of sunning on a beach, lots of time to read a book, watch a movie, or participate in activities poolside if you so desire. Indoor events such as art auctions, entertainment in the show lounges, card games, trivia contests, and other little things to see and do will keep you busy. Beware the days at sea on cold climate cruises, as you will need something to occupy you in the absence of the sunshine. The ship's library and bookstores are limited, so it's important to have some good reading material in advance, especially if you are going to foreign ports. Be prepared to occupy yourself in a more relaxing way on itineraries involving crossing large bodies of water (Transatlantic, to and from Hawaii, crossing the Indian Ocean). These sailings might look good on paper, but think them through to see if you are the right person for several days at sea. Even the biggest megaships can be confining in these situations.
|
|
